


The stars will guide us home

by Stormwings



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-01 22:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16293083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormwings/pseuds/Stormwings
Summary: Star Wars AU.The Galra Empire rules over the Galaxy. They exploit planets for their resources and enslave the population.Lance is a cargo pilot slash smuggler for the Rebellion. When he crashlands on a planet far away from the Galaxy's Core, he meets Keith, a Jedi apprentice.Keith has been dreaming of revenge on the Galra for a long time.Together, they may stand a chance to end the Galra tyranny and free the Galaxy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Star Wars AU no one asked for. 
> 
> I'm a huge Star Wars fan so I just had to get this out of my system. There will be some angst and some fluff in healthy doses.  
> I have the whole plot for this baby planned out already so expect frequent updates.  
> Future chapters will likely be longer but I wanted to keep the first as a short intro.
> 
> And yes, the rest of the gang will make their appearance, too!

“Oh, come on, you old rust bucket,” Lance swore under his breath as he yanked his ship’s controls to the left. He narrowly evaded the orange blaster shots of the Galra ship. Far below him, the emerald green surface of a planet came into view. A quick look at the information displayed on his helmet’s visor told him he had been pulled out of hyperspace close to Yehro, a small uninhabited planet without political significance due to its deadly fauna and lack of exploitable resources.

This wasn’t how Lance had imagined today’s supply run to go. It had sounded fairly easy: Pick up a few tons of weaponry from a trusted arms dealer far from the core worlds and deliver them to the base safely. No Galra intervention to be expected. A standard mission like so many before. But soon after Lance had taken off with the cargo on board and entered hyperspace, he had been pulled out by a Galra patrol ship. Their dealer must have sold him out.

Lance’s ship wasn’t made for combat. It was an old and rather sluggish cargo vessel, equipped only with a basic blaster cannon. He desperately tried to avoid incoming fire with his best manoeuvres but he knew he wouldn’t last long. For a moment, he considered sending an emergency message to his base but he couldn’t risk the Galra tracking the signal.

A blast hit one of the two ion drives on Lance’s ship and send it spiralling towards the planet’s surface, warning alerts blaring loudly. Lance yelled in frustration and desperately tried to steady the vessel but the controls were almost useless with only one engine. The ship’s motion made Lance’s head spin. Outside the viewport, the green surface came closer and closer as he plummeted through the atmosphere. The durasteel around him groaned under the strain like a wounded animal.

Lance knew that if he didn’t manage to stabilize the ship, he wouldn’t survive the fall. His fingers flew over the control panel. He still had a chance. He redirected all energy from his shields towards the engine and whooped in relief when the damaged thruster sputtered back to life. It wasn’t fully operational, but it was enough for Lance to pull the ship into a more stable position. He managed to pull the ship’s nose up just enough that he didn’t crash head first into the ground. The ship mowed through the treetops, leaving a trail of destruction. Without the shields as protection, the steel of the cockpit was not strong enough to withstand the collisions. The last thing Lance saw was the transparisteel viewport exploding into a million pieces as the nose of the ship caved in.

 

Everything hurt. Lance couldn’t find the strength to open his eyes. He couldn’t remember where he was or how he got there. All he knew was that his whole body felt bruised and broken. He tried to take a deep breath to calm down his racing heartbeat but he couldn’t. He felt panic wash over him. Why couldn’t he breathe? It felt as if something was pushing down on his lungs, only letting him take in just enough air to not suffocate right then and there.

Suddenly, something moved on top of him. The weight was lifted off his chest and he started coughing, trying to suck in as much air as he could. Lance slowly opened his eyes but his vision was too blurry to make out any details. He could smell fuel and smoke. The memory of the crash came back to him. He blinked quickly but sweat and blood clouded his vision. Someone was there with him and carefully pulled the battered helmet off his head.

“Hey, can you hear me?” the person asked. Lance tried to answer but was sent into another coughing fit. “Okay, stop, don’t talk,” the person ordered. “You’ll be okay. Don’t move.” Whoever was there with him, a guy judging from the voice, pulled him out from the debris. The guy carried him away from the ruins of the ship and sat him gently against the trunk of an enormous tree. Lance’s whole body still burnt and stung and he tried his best not to move. He felt the person inspect his chest, arms and legs. Apparently satisfied that Lance was not about to bleed to death any minute now, he took a piece of cloth to wipe the blood and sweat off Lance’s face. “Open your eyes and look at me,” the guy demanded, not unkindly. Lance blinked again and finally managed to make out the person who was there with him.

The guy looked human and had to be about the same age as Lance. His black hair was pulled into a short ponytail and a thin braid was tucked behind his right ear. He leaned in close and Lance saw that his eyes were an unusual shade of purple. He tilted Lance’s face up gingerly and inspected Lance’s pupils. “Try to stay awake, even if you’re exhausted. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Lance nodded slowly and watched as the guy stood up and walked back to the ship. The vessel had been badly damaged by the crash. The cockpit was almost completely ripped open. But the cargo hold seemed to be in an okay condition. The weapons he had stored in there could probably be saved if he could contact the base and organize another transport.

The guy rummaged around in a leather pouch hooked on his belt. He took a little object out of the pouch and attached it to the side of ship before hurrying back to Lance. _Oh no._ Lance tried to yell and get up, but his body did not obey him. The device began flashing quickly. Lance squeezed his eyes shut in anger and a moment later, an explosion tore the remains of the ship into pieces. They were a safe distance from the ship but Lance could still feel the heat on his face.

“Why… did you-” Lance coughed, voice sounding raspy.

“I saw the emblem in your helmet,” the guy interrupted him quickly, squatting down and frowning at Lance. “The Rebellion. That means you were chased by the Galra. If they had landed here to find the ship without your dead body, they would have hunted you down.” He glanced back at the completely destroyed vessel. “Now they’ll think you were torn to bits just like your ship. You’re welcome.” He leaned back and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Lance just stared at him. He was right. “And if we don’t leave quickly, they’ll kill us both. By the way, my name is Keith.”

“Lance,” Lance wheezed in reply. Keith nodded and for a moment it looked like he was going to say something else. But then he stood up and carefully pulled Lance to his feet. Lance winced as he moved. His left arm was definitely broken and he was sure he had cuts from the transparisteel all over his body. Keith pulled Lance’s uninjured arm over his shoulders and wrapped his arm around Lance’s waist to steady him. Slowly, they made their way to Keith’s speeder that was parked just beside the huge tree. Keith helped Lance sit down on the vehicle that seemed to have seen better days, just like Lance’s ship.

“Hold onto this with your right hand,” Keith instructed, pointing at a metal bar in front of the seat. Then he hopped onto the speeder and pulled Lance against his chest with one arm to keep him from toppling over and falling off the speeder. With his free hand, he gripped the handle and started up the engine. Lance tried to ignore the burning pain all over his body as well as he could. He held his broken arm awkwardly in front of him. Keith steered them through the woods easily. If he had been in a better state, Lance was sure he could have enjoyed the beauty of the scenery around them. Some trees were at least a hundred metres tall. They sped past glittering lakes and waterfalls.

Lance’s mind started wandering. What if this Keith guy wasn’t friendly at all? He had obviously heard of the rebels and recognized their insignia hidden on the inside of Lance’s helmet. Was he going to hand him over to the Galra for a nice reward? No, then why destroy all the expensive weapons in the ship? But why was he on Yehro, anyway? As far as Lance knew, the only people who came here were poachers who hunted down the deadly species home to this planet to sell them as trophies or for other unpleasant entertainment purposes. Was this guy a poacher? Would he sell Lance to a slave trader? Lance tried to calm down his breathing to quell the panic attack he felt coming.

“Relax,” Keith said suddenly, as if he had read Lance’s mind. “I’m not going to hurt you, trust me.” His voice sounded strained. “I’m taking you to my friend. He’ll make sure you’ll be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for today!  
> Please let me know what you think. I would love to read your comments.


	2. Chapter 2

Keith steered the speeder through a narrow canyon. The walls were overgrown with thick ivy and large trees loomed above on top of the cliffs. Sunlight softly filtered through the lush green canopy. 

Eventually, the canyon opened up to a small lake and sloping fields surrounded by steep stone walls. Lance spotted a small stone hut nestled at the foot of the far wall. It was a perfect hiding spot, only visible if you happened to fly right above it. 

Keith stopped the speeder in front of the hut and helped Lance climb off the vehicle. Lance swayed slightly and only stayed upright because he was still holding onto the other man. Keith opened the wooden door and led Lance inside. 

The interior of the hut looked a lot cosier than Lance had expected. There was a large fireplace ringed with stones in the middle of the room. A pot filled with steaming soup sat on top of a metal grill above it. Off to one side, there was a wide wooden bench cushioned with handmade pillows and blankets. Large animal pelts served as rugs. Crude wooden stairs led to a second level where Lance assumed the bedroom was.

Keith helped Lance lie down on the cushioned bench. It was surprisingly comfortable, he noted. Keith poured water into a wooden cup and mixed something in it, but Lance couldn’t see what it was. 

“This is strong herb medicine that will ease the pain in your arm,” Keith said when he noticed Lance’s questioning gaze. “Drink all of it. Don’t worry, I’m not going to poison you,” he sighed when Lance didn’t take the cup immediately.

Lance gave in and emptied the cup in one go. He figured if Keith wanted him dead, he would have just left him in the woods. The medicine tasted horribly bitter. It must have shown on his face because Keith smirked slightly. “I hate it, too.”

“Thank you,” Lance croaked. After drinking something, his throat felt a lot better. The same couldn’t be said about his injured arm, though. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Keith replied and shrugged. He turned around and opened the cupboard standing on the opposite wall, gathering items from various shelves. 

Now that Lance felt he was not in immediate danger of dying, he took a closer look at Keith’s clothes. He wore brown linen pants tucked into simple leather boots. His tan tunic was held in place by a broad belt with several leather pouches on it. A strange device hung from his belt. It looked like metal torch. _ Wait… _ he had seen one of those before.

“Are you a Jedi?” Lance asked, only half-jokingly. Keith turned around with a raised eyebrow. He cradled bandages, a large cloth and a bowl with warm water in his arms. 

“Not yet,” he stated simply and put down the items on the floor next to the bench. “Okay, I need to take a look at your arm.” 

He helped Lance sit up. When he took the ruined jacket off Lance’s shoulders, Lance had to look away. He had always been a little squeamish when it came to blood. “Ah, it doesn’t look so bad. Looks like it’s a clean fracture,” Keith mumbled. “Sorry, this will still hurt.” He began cleaning the cuts on Lance’s arm. It burned but Keith was very careful to hurt him as little as possible. 

When Keith had gotten rid of the blood and splinters, he wrapped the arm tightly in stiff bandages. The herb medicine started to take effect and dulled the pain considerably. 

Once the arm was bandaged, Keith asked Lance to strip down to his underwear to clean the rest of the cuts. Lance wanted to protest but he knew it would be dangerous if any of the cuts got infected. He took off his flight suit hesitantly, gingerly holding his bandaged arm against his chest. He felt too vulnerable, standing almost naked in front of a stranger. He had to look terrible, all bloody and bruised.

“See? Not so bad,” Keith said with a tiny reassuring smile after he inspected the cuts on Lance’s torso and legs.

“Yeah, I feel just peachy,” Lance grimaced.

A few minutes later, Keith dropped the bloody cloth back into the bowl of water and climbed up the stairs. Lance stood awkwardly, not knowing whether he should sit down or wait. But before he could make up his mind, Keith came back with a bundle of clothes in his arms. 

“I got some spare clothes for you. They should fit,” he said and helped Lance dress. The sleeves of the tunic and legs of the pants were a little short but the fabric was soft. After Keith had helped Lance fasten the belt, he took a leftover piece of bandage and made a sling for Lance’s arm. “Try not to move it.”

“Why are you helping me?” Lance finally asked.

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Keith replied and pointed at the bench. “Lie down and rest. I’ll get you some soup when it’s done.” Lance wasn’t satisfied with that reply but he lied down anyway. He felt a little dizzy after standing up for so long.

“Where’s the friend you mentioned?”

Keith sighed, sensing that Lance wouldn’t stop asking questions.    


“I expected him to be here but I guess he’s still out, hunting.”   


“Is he a Jedi, too?” Lance kept asking. “Why are you living on Yehro? There’s nothing here!”   


“Look,” Keith replied, voice tense, “I know you have a lot of questions. But I’m not good at… this,” he gestured vaguely between them. “When Shiro is back, you can talk to him. He’s better with people.”   


When Keith offered him a bowl of the soup, Lance took it gratefully. By now he would have probably been back at the base, having dinner with his family, Pidge and Hunk. The thought of them made him almost drop the bowl.    


“Do you have a subspace radio?”    


“No, sorry. No communication devices,” Keith shook his head.   


Lance sank back into the pillows. He knew there were no settlements or spaceports on Yehro. How was he ever going to get off this planet and return to his family? Without a radio, he couldn’t even transmit a message to them. They would think he had been captured or killed by the Galra. It was probably safer that way, he thought bitterly. Without proper encryption, he would risk giving away the location of their base. Keith seemed to sense his discomfort. He shifted slightly, his eyebrows drawing together in a frown.   


“We have a supplier who comes regularly. He will be back in six standard weeks.”   


“Can he take me to a spaceport?” Lance asked, hopeful.   


“Yes, I’m sure he’d agree to help out.”   


After that, Lance finished his soup in silence. Waiting for six weeks wasn’t ideal, but it sounded a whole lot better than being declared dead. He handed the empty bowl back to Keith and closed his eyes. Not even a minute later, he was fast asleep

***

Lance was woken by soft voices. He had no idea how long he had been asleep but aside from the dull pain in his broken arm and a very dry throat, he felt surprisingly good. He coughed and opened his eyes slowly. While he had been asleep, Keith must have wrapped him in more blankets because Lance felt like he was buried under a whole pile of wool and fur.    


“Oh, he’s awake,” he heard Keith’s voice from somewhere inside the hut.    


“He already looks a lot better,” a second voice commented. It belonged to a man with snow white hair who sat down on the floor next to Lance. That had to be the friend Keith had mentioned before. 

“Hello Lance,” the man said with a warm smile. “I’m Shiro. Here, drink this,” he said and offered Lance a cup of water. “You’ve been asleep for two days, you need to rehydrate.”   


“Two days?!” Lance exclaimed, eyes wide.    


“Yes. Keith gave you very strong medicine. It numbs the pain but itl also puts you to sleep for a while to help with the recovery. How are you feeling?”   


“A lot better, thank you,” Lance replied after he emptied the cup. “Keith saved my life.”    


“He told me about the crash. I saw that a Galra patrol ship landed shortly after you came back here. I think Keith’s trick worked and they left, thinking you died in the explosion. They were after you because your cargo was of questionable legality, I assume?” 

Lance wasn’t sure how much he should say to a total stranger. Shiro noticed his hesitation and smiled again. “It’s okay. We’re on your side. Keith has a, let’s say, strong dislike of the Galra. And so do I. We both lost our home to them.”   


“You’re from one of the occupied planets?” Lance asked, eager to hear more.   


“Yes. We’re both from Verdell. I met Keith when he was still a kid. We managed to get off the planet before they raised the security levels and put an embargo on the whole planet.” Shiro refilled the cup handed it back to Lance.   


“And then you came here? Why this place?”   


“We needed somewhere quiet where no one would come looking for us.”   


It was then that Lance noticed Shiro only had one arm. Where his right arm should have been, the tunic was cut off and tied into a knot.

“Ah yeah, I got in a little accident when I was younger,” Shiro said and shrugged.   


“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ Lance stuttered, embarrassed he had been caught staring.    


“No, it’s fine. It’s not like it’s easy to miss. So, Keith told me you had some questions.”

Lance realized Keith must have left the hut while he had been talking to Shiro because he was nowhere to be seen.    


“Uhm, yes,” Lance started. “I had so many questions, I think I annoyed Keith a little bit.”   


“He’s just not a big talker, don’t take it personally. Even my presence annoys him most days,” Shiro laughed. It was a warm, pleasant sound. “You asked him whether he was a Jedi, didn’t you?”    


“Yes,” Lance replied, surprised. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about them. Seen some holodramas…” Lance stopped himself, realizing how childish he sounded.   


“You recognized the lightsaber on his belt,” Shiro stated. It was not a question. Lance nodded. “Well, you were not entirely wrong. Keith is still a Padawan.  _ I _ am a Jedi.” 

Lance stared at Shiro for a moment, trying to see if the man was mocking him. But he saw nothing on Shiro’s face that may have hinted at that. He was completely serious.    


“Really?” he asked stupidly.    


“Yes. Well, I never officially finished my training because the Galra invaded our planet. But I did train under a real Jedi Master for many years. Here, I made this one myself.”

Shiro unhooked something from his belt. It was a lightsaber, similar to the one Keith wore on his belt. He held it upright and ignited it. The blade shot upwards with a hummmmmm. It was pale blue like ice, almost white.   


“Wow, that is so cool!” Lance admired the weapon he had only seen on holos. The only weapon he ever carried was a conventional blaster. And that had been blown to tiny pieces by Keith. Shiro turned off the lightsaber and put it back on his belt.    


“Keith already told you that we have no way to contact anyone, right?” Lance nodded. “We live here by ourselves and only get some basic supplies every 8 weeks. When our supplier comes, I will ask him to take you to a spaceport so you can return home. Until then, you should rest and let your arm heal.”   


“I’m so sorry for being a burden,” Lance sighed.    


“Don’t worry about it. Keith can hunt some extra food, it will be good practice for him. Actually, I think he hunted earlier today before you woke up. I’ll call him in to prepare dinner for us. You must be starving after two days without food.” Shiro got up and walked to the front door to call Keith back inside. Then he returned to Lance. “Can you stand up? I’ll show you around the place. You’re welcome to go wherever you want and take whatever you need. Make yourself at home.”   


Lance struggled to sit up, his neck and back stiff from lying down for such a long time. His arm hurt slightly but it already felt a lot better than expected. Shiro showed him the small bathroom with a simple rain water shower and the second floor where he and Keith slept on thick futons. A stone chimney ran along the wall to let the smoke from the fireplace out and serve as a heater at the same time.   


“I prepared a bed for you up here, too,” Shiro said and pointed at a third futon. “The bench downstairs might have been an acceptable emergency solution but if you keep sleeping on that thing, you won’t be able to move in a week’s time.”   


Lance thanked Shiro profusely. He was amazed by Shiro’s and Keith’s hospitality. Of course he had heard many tales about the Jedi; how they helped those in need, protected the weak and fought for justice in the Galaxy. But he had always thought those were just bedtime stories parents told their children. Maybe being stuck with a Jedi and his apprentice for a couple of weeks wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Lance hoped he would be able to catch a glimpse at their training. He would love to see them spar with real lightsabers.

Later that evening, the three of them sat on the furs around the fireplace and had dinner together. Shiro was apparently a lot more talkative than Keith. Lance suspected Shiro was actually happy about the additional company. Lance told them about his life as a cargo pilot slash smuggler but left out any details that might pose a threat to the Rebellion, just in case. In return, Shiro told him about his time as an apprentice in a Jedi temple. Keith offered a comment here and there but mostly remained silent, sipping on his cup of tea. 

Lance excused himself shortly after dinner. He was still feeling more than a little exhausted. The futon was comfortable, but sleep didn’t come easy. Thoughts of his friends and family kept him awake. 

He hoped his parents and siblings wouldn’t worry too much. He had been forced to stay in hiding without contacting them a few times before when a cargo run went south. They’d be fine for a few days, but he knew his mother would still be nervous. And six weeks? He didn’t even want to think about it. 

Lance knew what it felt like to wait and wait and wait. Hoping every day to hear the sound of a familiar engine. Hoping for weeks, months, years that a loved one would come back. That they were just lost. Stranded. Delayed. Caught up in a secret mission no one could speak of. That one day they’d just walk right through that door as if nothing was wrong in the world. 

After a long while of trying to fall asleep, voices drifting up from downstairs caught Lance’s attention. Keith and Shiro probably assumed he was sleeping by now. He strained his ears to hear what they were whispering about.

“You feel it, too. Don’t tell me you missed it,” Keith hissed.

“Yes, of course I can feel it,” Shiro replied. “But I don’t think he’s dangerous. You know you can react very strongly, even-”

“Don’t use that excuse with me,” Keith interrupted him, sounding angry. “You always think my judgment is clouded because of my…  _ gift _ .” He practically spat that last word. “It’s rolling off of him in waves, Shiro. When I found him, I thought he was just glowing a little brighter than most people. Just enough to catch my attention from a distance because he was in distress. But now that he’s recovering...”

“What are you saying?” Shiro asked in a gentle voice, obviously trying to calm down the other.

“I’m saying that he might not be aware yet, but he could hurt himself and the people around him if he was ever put in the wrong situation. You of all people should know how dangerous that can be.”

“Are you suggesting we keep him here?” Shiro sounded genuinely curious.

“I don’t know… he might not want to stay and we cannot force him.”

Shiro hummed in agreement. 

“He’ll be here for a couple of weeks. I think I can teach him enough control to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or anyone else.” A pause, before Shiro continued, “How are  _ you _ feeling?”

“It’s… exhausting.” Keith hesitated. “But I’m okay, don’t worry about it. I’ll just practice a little harder. I’ve become rusty, stuck here with no one but you.”

Shiro laughed softly at that.

Lance wondered what it all meant. They were obviously talking about him. But how could he be a threat to anyone? What was Keith so worried about? Mulling over those thoughts, Lance eventually drifted into a dreamless slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! Comments are loved! <3


	3. Chapter 3

“Hey Lance, wake up.” Keith nudged his shoulder gently. Lance muttered something unintelligible and rolled onto his uninjured side. He didn’t want to get up yet. Over the years, people had learnt to stay away from him in the morning. It was safer for everyone involved.  “No breakfast for you, then,” Keith huffed and got up. That caught Lance’s attention. 

“Nooo, wait,” he whined. “All right, all right, I’m coming.”

Breakfast was a rather uneventful affair until Shiro put down his bowl and announced, “Lance. I would like to discuss an important matter with you.”

Lance looked up, confused. Shiro looked serious. Was this about the discussion he witnessed the night before? Keith set down his bowl as well and watched both of them intently.

“Uhm, yes okay. What is this about?”

“Since you know about the Jedi, you also know about the Force, right?”

“Just a little,” Lance cocked his head to one side. “Only from the stories. I don’t know how much of it is true.”

“Well, but then you know that not everyone can use the Force.”

Lance nodded.

“The Force connects everything in the Galaxy,” Shiro continued. “No matter whether someone can feel it or not, the Force flows through them. If you’re sensitive to it, you can draw power from it or manipulate it, although it takes a lot of training to control it.” Lance had the feeling he wasn’t giving this speech for the first time. He also wasn’t sure where this was going. Was Shiro giving him a lesson? Was that just what Jedi did when an outsider stumbled upon them? But as a little kid he had always dreamt about being a hero like the Jedi, so he listened respectfully.

“Have you ever done something that couldn’t be explained just by your skill or talent alone?” Shiro asked.

“Well…” Lance started, brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to recall anything of that sort. “I’m a pretty good pilot, … but I practiced a lot, so I don’t think that counts. Everyone used to tell me I was one of the best sharpshooters they’d ever seen until I-” he cut himself off before he said too much. But Shiro didn’t miss it.

“Until you did what?”

“I, uhm, I used to be a sharpshooter. But not anymore. I messed up on a mission and that was it.”

Apparently sensing that that was very much  _ not it _ , Shiro kept prodding.

“What happened on that mission?”

Lance hesitated to continue. He had tried to forget that mission. But there was something about Shiro that made him feel like he could trust him with this information. It was almost as if Shiro coaxed the information from him with that disarming smile.

“It was supposed to be a simple supply run, really. We were a team of four. One pilot, two “merchants” and me. While two of my teammates went to collect the items we needed, I covered them. At first, it all went according to plan. They were down at the yard where the exchange was supposed to happen and I stayed close to our ship, up on a roof so I could see if anything suspicious happened. But something had given us away or someone had sold us out, we never found out…”

Lance trailed off. He hated the way his voice wavered slightly.

“Anyway, the merchant we were supposed to meet didn’t show up. Instead, a group of Galra soldiers surprised my teammates. There were too many for me to take out. I got really scared because there…. there was nothing I could do. If I had killed just one of the Galra, the rest of them would have killed my teammates or tortured them for more information. I swear I never pulled the trigger… but suddenly the gas tanks in the yard exploded.”

Lance looked down at his hands and took a deep breath. Shiro and Keith waited patiently for him to continue.

“They… they all died. All the Galra. And my teammates. Our pilot dragged me off that roof. He knew I had explosive ammunition on me but I KNOW I didn’t use it. When we got back to the base, he reported what happened. My superiors thought I freaked out... or snapped… that I shot the tanks to hide our tracks. That I couldn’t bear the thought of my teammates getting caught and tortured. Of course I couldn’t! They took me off the team and re-assigned me to the cargo fleet. Never put me on another mission with anyone else again.”

“Do you think it’s possible that someone else blew up the tanks?” Shiro asked.

“That’s what I thought, too,” Lance sighed, sounding defeated. “But we had an informant on ground. He investigated the site and found no traces of any detonators on the tanks. Nothing. But even if I had snapped and taken a shot, how could I have shot three tanks at once? It’s impossible!”

Lance saw that Shiro and Keith exchanged a quick look. Did they believe him? Why did it even matter whether they did or not? The memory of that day still hurt.

“Sorry, I don’t know why we’re even talking about this. This has nothing to do with your original question.”

“No, this may be important,” Shiro said gently. “I have one more question. I apologize if it ’s painful to talk about. Was one of your teammates someone you cared about deeply?”

Lance stared at him. How could Shiro know? Jedi couldn’t read your mind, could they? Hell, for all Lance knew, they probably could.

“Yes,” he replied after a long pause. “One of them was my sister. Lily.” Saying her name hurt even more than simply retelling the events of that day. His eyes stung as he tried not to cry. Lance bit his lip and tried to steady his breathing.  _ Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. _

Keith shifted uncomfortably where he was sitting on the ground. Lance noticed he looked pale, almost sickly. He looked like an animal that might dash off at the slightest movement.

“I’m very sorry for what happened to your sister, Lance,” Shiro said. He looked troubled. Lance mentally scolded himself. _ Look, now you made them both uncomfortable. Stop being such a crybaby. _

“The reason I asked all this is… well, you’re definitely Force-sensitive, Lance.”

Lance gaped at Shiro. No, that had to be a mistake. He would know, wouldn’t he? Not knowing how to properly react to that statement, he laughed nervously.

“I think you made a mistake there. I definitely don’t have any mysterious voodoo powers.”

Keith rolled his eyes at that. Shiro smiled, not offended by Lance’s remark.

“No, you probably don’t have any “mysterious voodoo powers”. You are sensitive to the Force, but you cannot control it. Without proper training, hardly anyone can. But Keith and I, we’ve been trained to spot others like us.”

“You’re like a beacon,” Keith said suddenly. Lance turned around, surprised that he spoke up. “When you crashed, you were like an alarm blaring right in my ear. Very hard to miss.” He looked grim.

“And without training, your powers might control you, not the other way around,” Shiro continued.

“Powers?! But I don’t have any powers!” Lance protested.

“None that you can willingly use, no. But in a situation that causes you a lot of stress, your body might use the Force without you even noticing.”

“Wait… are you saying… the explosion? The tanks? That could have been… me?!”

_ No, that couldn’t be true. If it was, it meant… no! _ Lance didn’t want to hear it. He shook his head violently. There was no proof that anything Shiro had said was true. The Jedi had to be wrong. Lance flinched when Shiro put a hand on his shoulder.

“Lance, I know this is hard to believe. But I can help you protect yourself and everyone around you. If you trust me on this, I can make sure something horrible like that never happens again.”

Lance looked at Shiro, then at Keith. The younger man still looked uncomfortable but had stopped fidgeting.

“Shiro is right,” Keith agreed. “If you want, you can train together with us.”

“All right, but then you’ll see you were wrong.”

Lance  _ hoped  _ they were wrong. How was he ever supposed to look at himself in a mirror again if he knew that it was his fault Lily was dead?

 

***

 

Shiro wasted no time and started Lance’s training right after breakfast. Well, it was more of a meditation session. Not that Lance would have been able to do any physical exercise in his current state, anyway. 

The three of them sat in a circle on the grass outside the hut. The air was pleasant, like a nice spring day on Lance’s homeworld. From time to time, the silence was interrupted by distant animal calls.

Shiro had given Lance instructions how to clear his mind. But Lance already knew it would be hard. Even if he was in a good mood, he found it almost impossible to sit still and concentrate on something for more than five minutes.

In his current mood, his mind kept wandering. He worried about his family and friends. He thought of Lily and how much he missed her. The two of them had always been closer to each other than to any of their other siblings. Remembering her was painful and Lance had to fight back tears. He was thankful that Shiro and Keith had their eyes closed.

"This isn’t working!” Keith barked suddenly. Lance opened his eyes and saw that the other had jumped to his feet and was stalking off towards the lake.

“Uh…” Lance began, wondering what was wrong with Keith. Why did he look so angry? Before he could say anything, Shiro shook his head.

“Let him go. Don’t worry, sometimes he needs some time to himself. Try again, Lance. Remember, let go of everything that’s on your mind and reach out. Feel the universe around you.”

Lance closed his eyes again.  _ Feel the universe around you? What kind of mumbo jumbo was that?  _ He pictured the trees, the lake and the stone walls surrounding them. He focused on the small details of the scenery as well as he could. The ripple of the water in a gentle breeze. The movement of the leaves rustling above them. An insect crawling over the stones of the hut. His mind jumped from picture to picture. But Lance felt nothing unusual.

Eventually, Lance gave up on that approach. Instead, he pictured himself, standing on the soft grass. What would the Force look like if it was visible? He imagined looking down at his uninjured hand and seeing small droplets of water floating in the air above it. They sparkled in the sun like morning dew at first light. Lance looked up. The droplets clung to every surface. They covered the grass, the hut, the trees and even floated on top of the lake, like tiny boats. He slowly started walking towards the lake and marveled at the surreal world around him.

He took a look over his shoulder and saw Shiro and himself, still sitting on the grass, eyes closed and meditating. The water gently swirled around Shiro, pulsing as if it was alive. Lance looked at himself. The droplets were also floating around his body, but the sight was a lot less peaceful. The water pulsed and twitched, tendrils extending in irregular patterns as if they were trying to grasp at something. It was an unnerving sight, so Lance turned around quickly and focused on his surroundings again.

A bit further down the path, he spotted Keith sitting on a large rock and looking out towards the water. Like Shiro, the water swirled around him peacefully. At this point, Lance wasn’t sure anymore whether he was still just imagining things or  _ seeing _ them. Lance reached out to Keith and watched in amazement as a water tendril extended across the grass. It stretched, still twitching and shivering until it reached the water floating around Keith.

But the second he tried to connect with it, the water around Keith twitched violently and warped into a shield that looked like a solid waterfall frozen midair. Lance gasped, doubling over. He felt like he had been punched in the gut. The scenery around him dissolved as if it had been swept away by a tidal wave. He opened his eyes and fell forward, catching himself with one hand and breathing quickly. Shiro’s hand was on his shoulder, steadying him.

“Lance, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I… what, what was th-that?” Lance looked around with wild eyes, checking whether any water still floated around them, but the world was back to normal. He saw Keith jump off the rock by the lake and jog towards them.

“ _ That _ was the Force!” Shiro exclaimed and leaned back, looking proud. “That was pretty impressive for a first try.”

“Sorry!” Keith called out as he got closer. “Automatic reaction.” He offered no further explanation but smiled at Lance apologetically.

“I guess that concludes lesson number one successfully,” Shiro announced.

Lance didn’t want to think about the implications of what had just happened. He refused to let his mind wander this time. Instead, he felt almost giddy.

“Okay, what is lesson number two?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you guess what Keith's "gift" is? (:
> 
> Please leave a comment, they make me really happy!


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